Nigeria: Amana Medical Centre Records First IVF Baby

Chief Medical Director of Prime Care Fertility Clinic at Amana Medical Centre Abuja, Dr Eloka Menakaya, Monday informed that a baby was delivered at the clinic through the Invetro Fertilization (IVF) process on January 24.

He said the baby named Amana was delivered on January 24 through Caesaran section and is in perfect condition.

Menakaya, who stated this at a press briefing in Abuja, blamed the rate of increased infertility among couples to sexual transmitted diseases, illegal abortions and other factors.

He said due to the high costs of managing infertility, Amana Medical Centre started a fertility clinic in February 2012 and began to treat infertile couples in the process of IVF or Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection, depending on their problem at a cost of N800,000 to N900,000.

According to him, IVF cost about $1,000 or UK 5,000 in India, while in the USA it is about $12,000, excluding flight tickets, accommodation and other expenses.

He said government and insurance companies do not cover infertility management because it is regarded as not life threatening compared to malaria, Tuberculosis and HIV.

Commenting on the delivery, father of the child, who pleaded anonymity, said his daughter is doing fine. The man said he has been married for three years without a child and decided to try the IVF option and is happy with the result.

AllAfrica publishes around 2,000 reports a day from more than 130 news organizations and over 200 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 2000 news and information items daily from over 130 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Lagos, Monrovia, Nairobi and Washington DC.